64 vs. The Underground

by Jman9877

Chapter 49

Chapter 49

64 POV

“Ugh…… where the fuck…? Ah……” I groaned, feeling sunlight hit my eyelids. I sluggishly brought my arms to cover them and rolled over onto my side, trying to block out as much sunlight as possible.

“Well, look who’s awake.” Celestia voice said, a bit louder than necessary. My eyes fluttered open to see that Celestia was standing over me, a less than pleased look on her face. “Are you comfortable in the Courtyard?”

I squinted my eyes and took a quick look around where I was laying, and saw that I was indeed in the Palace Courtyard, right the in the middle of a patch of Chrysanthemums. I was wearing nothing but a pair of underwear, and feeling up to my head I discovered I was wearing Celestia tiara.

“Huh… this is the 2nd strangest way I’ve ever woken up.” I said sarcastically, tossing the tiara off to the side.

“And what was the first?”

“Being made.”

Celestia sighed and got me to my feet with her magic, causing my head to spin with the sudden movement. “Agh! Easy there… My head is trying to detach from my neck I swear…” I groaned, grabbing at my head in pain.

“Well maybe next time you don’t get drunk and convince Frenzy Scribe to go and seduce my sister.” Celestia said deadpanned already beginning to walk away. I followed begrudgingly.

“Look, we’re leaving tomorrow, and with everything going on I just needed a little pick me up. And how did that thing with Frenzy and Luna end up?” I asked, genuinely curious to see how that happened.

“I had to save him when I saw him dangling out of her balcony, Luna with his mane in her teeth.”

I had a good chuckle at that, but Celestia just glared at me and kept walking. “Alright, so anything I need to do today? Honestly I just want to sleep this hangover off.”

“Yes. You need to go and pack anything you may need. Your chariot to Ethaxial leaves at Midnight, so do not be late.”

“Midnight? I thought we were leaving tomorrow.”

“Midnight is tomorrow. Now get back to your quarters. You smell like…” Celestia took a few deep sniffs of the air, but her eyes widened and she took a few more vigourous sniffs. “64? What were you drinking last night?”

“Uh… I didn’t read the label, but it was some sort of Apple Cinnamon Whiskey. Why?”

“Remind me to reprimand Frenzy when I see him. That bottle of Appolosian Summer was one of my last.” She said simply before walking off, an angry scowl on her face. I shook my head a bit before wincing and grabbing my temples, realizing that doing that was probably a mistake.

I made the short walk over to my quarters, when I saw Blusa looking at a piece of paper and… muttering? She can’t speak anymore…

“Blu? What’s up?” I asked, causing her to gasp and drop the paper. She turned towards me and and blinked her horn white a few times, signaling that i surprised her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to. I just saw you reading something and it looked like you were speaking to yourself. You still move your mouth when reading to yourself?”

She nodded her head yes and blinked that it just felt natural. “Well thats cool I guess… Can you bring coffee or something to my room later? My head is killing me.” She nodded yes and walked off, making sure to pick up the paper that she was reading with her. I didn’t get to ask her what she was reading…

I walked into my room and saw that it was neatly done, probably Blu’s doing as well. I flopped onto my bed and looked at the ceiling, watching as a ceiling fan slowly turned and turned. I looked over to a table on the other side of the room and saw that the clothing I was wearing last night was on the table, along with the Shock Baton Shining Armor had given me.

I got up and put the my longsleeve and combat pants back on, before grabbing the duffle bag I had thrown in the corner of the room. I put in the Camouflage Jumpsuit, knowing that it would be able to retain its magic even if it passed through a Magic Retention field. I threw in a few more coats, knowing that it snowed up in Volaticus.

Although I still had Zecora’s shield, it would only able to withstand one good hit before it shattered, meaning it would probably be best if I brought some heavy armor to wear underneath my clothing. A chainmail vest with heavy leather sleeves was in a case under my bed, so I pulled it out and took off my shirt to see how it fit. When I slipped my regular longsleeve over the armor, it look as if I had another layer of clothing, which would look normal in Volaticus.

“64. We heard you had quite the rager with Frenzy last night? Why the heck did you not invite me?” Crossroads said, appearing at my my door.

“I didn’t plan on blacking out, so there’s that. That can’t be everything you came to say though. Out with it.” I said, adjusting the chainmail around my neck.

“Heh, always the observant one. Look, Ethaxial isn’t gonna agree to any of this bullcrap. And I know for a fact that Shining Armor isn’t gonna be able to step up to the plate if things go south. I need you to do something. If not for yourself, then for Equestria.” Crossroads said slowly, in a tone I wasn’t sure I liked.

“Frenzy has a good plan. Things are not gonna go south.” I replied, my eyes narrowing suspiciously. “What did you want me to do?”

“Look. Blackbeak is the monarch of Ethaxial right now. If you think he’s just gonna sign an agreement with Equestria, who has been a long time enemy of Ethaxial, then you are out of your fucking mind. He’s gonna strike first and we won’t even be ready for it. Shining is gonna fall apart fast and hard, so you have to put a stop to all of this before it starts.”

I honestly had to think about it a bit. Blackbeak has been the ‘King’, if you could call him that, of Ethaxial for about 30 years, longer than I had been alive. He used violent methods to keep any who opposed him down, had secret police to spy on civilians, and pretty much brainwashed every hatchling Gryphon that went to school there. He was a bastard, but by even planning to assassinate him could mean war against Equestria anyway.

“I can’t do that Crossroads. I mean… I could do it, but I won’t.” I corrected, my pride getting to me a bit. “Doing something like that could mean Equestria going to war anyways, and who’s to say that Blackbeak doesn’t already have an heir? If I kill him, then it’ll only be a matter of time before someone else takes his place.”

“That is why we would move quickly after his death. Send in our Frontal Assault when the King is dead, move quickly while their Commander is down. Quick and clean 64. Quick and clean.”

She left the room without saying another word, leaving me full of questions that needed answering from her. Why the hell was she acting like this all of a sudden? Asking me to kill someone like that? She always opted for the diplomatic approach, but now she wanted bloody politics?

“I have to ask her about that later…” I muttered, continuing to pack clothing and such into the duffle bag.

‘Crossroads’ POV

“The kind of day of which I’ve dreamed since I was small…”

3rd Person POV

Dusk began to fall over Equestria, and 64 was all prepped and ready to go. He was sitting on the edge of Princess Luna’s balcony, his bag slung across his back in a diagonal way. His Skeleton blades were attached to his wrists, and he was passing the time by making small little light shows with his flames.

He was making a small stream of fire pass between his fingers he he saw Princess Luna walk out onto the balcony.

“Hello there Princess, I can see you are hard at work.” 64 said, gesturing to the amazing setting of Twilight the sky was in right now.

“This is a combination of both mine and Celestia’s power. When both of us are simultaneously moving our respective Celestial bodies.” Luna explained, her horn glowing a bit. “You… are distressed about something. Something is on your mind.”

64 smirked a bit. “How’d you guess?” He said sarcastically, knowing that Luna could read his mind like a book. “It’s something somepony told me. I mean… could all of this really work? Frenzy Scribe is seems like one smart cookie, but… all of these countries have something against one or the other. What if… what if things don’t work out? What if Equestria actually goes to war?”

Apparently Luna could tell that 64 was in a state of distress, because as he came down from the Balcony ledge and onto the actual Balcony, Luna draped her right wing around him, bringing him in for a hug.

He was a bit taller than her, so she settled for nuzzling him in his shoulder. “Knowing you, you would stand at the front lines to fight for Equestria.” Luna said jokingly, causing 64 to laugh.

“Ha, you know? I think you may be right.”

64 and Luna both looked out towards the setting sun, each of them just enjoying the dramatic display of colors being presented to them.

“So what happened last night with me and Frenzy? I was told that we performed a few shenanigans.” 64 asked, putting his hands on the Balcony banister and leaning forward.

“Well, the kitchen was ransacked, and all of the spiciest ingredients were taken. They were later found in a blender liquified, and some of it consumed.” Luna explained, trying her hardest to not laugh. “Then it was apparent that while Princess Celestia’s night guards were distracted by a small fire… someone snuck into her room and took her Tiara.”

“That’s how it got on my head this morning…” 64 muttered, scratching his chin a bit.

“I understand that a good bit of fun is needed before something as serious as this, but couldn’t you have at least invited me?” Luna said with a mock pout.

“If I had known that you wanted to come then I would have let you tag along. But I’m pretty sure ‘Princess of the Night rampages in a drunken stupor’ would be a pretty bad headline for todays newspaper.”

“Oh, but I’m sure ‘Human burns half of Canterlot down’ would be just as delightful.”

64 and Luna both began to laugh at their banter, each of them sighing and looking at each other.

Luna could see a fire behind 64’s eyes, literally.

64 could see the entirety of the cosmos within Luna’s hair.

The fire within 64 slightly scared Luna, but excited her at the same time.

The unknown and unexplored vasts of the Night enticed 64, making him want to go and find out what it contained.

The sun finally set, and Luna’s horn stopped glowing. The moon now rested at the top of the sky, its soft white light covering Equestria with its glow.

64 blinked, bringing the both of them out of their trances. He looked down at his watch and saw that it read 9PM, the designated meet up time with Frenzy Scribe.

“Oh, uh. I, I gotta get going. Have a… have a nice night.” 64 said, for some reason unable to look at Princess Luna for a moment.

“You too 64. Farewell.” Luna said slowly, watching as 64 walked past her and out of the room.

“Funny.” She thought aloud. “Usually he would just jump from the edge of the Balcony.”

64 POV

I walked down the hallway, mind reeling a bit. It felt like something was drilling into the back of my head, and it was something usually felt when… she… was around.

“Hello there 64! How are you today?” Princess Cadence said gleefully, walking up to me with a smile.

“Oh, I’m on my way to meet with Frenzy Scribe so we could make our way to Ethaxial. I’m acting as bodyguard.” I said simply, shrugging my shoulders a bit.

“Shining told me about that, I was hoping you could shed some light on-”

With that, Cadence’s eyes shot open, and she took one long look at me. Her eyes widened a bit, and her nose flared as if she took a few deep breaths.

“Uh… something wrong?” I asked, before Cadence tackled me to the ground looked deeply into my eyes while her horn glowed.

“Pupils set at 1.99mm’s, heart rate increased, dopamine output by neurotransmitters increasing…” Cadence shot off before getting off of me. “Project 64… do you have a crush on somepony?”

My face scrunched in confusion. “I don’t think so. Why? Can you feel something?”

“Well, although mostly what I’m seeing is nothing but an increased activity of brain patterns signifying an attraction to somepony, it looks pretty similar to what I see whenever I see a young couple walking the streets of Canterlot.”

I rubbed my cheek a bit, not sure if that was the case.

“Do you feel any strange feelings? Such as excessive sweat, nervousness for no reason, or shaking appendages?”

“Not really. I was just talking with Princess Luna, but it was weird. I remember looking at her and just… staring. I didn’t feel my heart start beating faster or anything, I was just… I wanted to know her better. I could tell she’s holding a lot in, and part of me wants to know her better.” I explained, walking towards the Library with Princess Cadence.

“Hm… it does sound like a crush… but it seems it’s just an infatuation. These things should pass after awhile.” Cadence said, calming me a bit.

“Hopefully. I’ve never really… seen anyone like that before. Feels weird for some reason.”

We arrived at the Library… but the door was boarded up. I gave it a swift kick in the middle of the double doors, breaking the wooden boards and sending them both open. “Frenzy?! What’s with the doors? You in here?” I called out, seeing that it was getting darker and darker in there.

I made a small flame in my right hand to act as a torch in the dark, shining it to see if I could find him. “See anything Cadence?” I asked, but she shook her head no.

“IS SHE WITH YOU!?” Frenzy yelled out in the darkness, startling both of us.

“Princess Cadence? We were just talking and she just decided to tag along. Why can’t she be here?” I questioned, still looking for the source of Frenzy’s voice.

“NOT HER! PRINCESS CELESTIA! SHE’S HUNTING ME DOWN AFTER LAST NIGHT!”

I remembered Celestia’s reaction to Frenzy swiping some of her alcohol, which was awesome, but I never figured out exactly where he went.

“Um, no Celestia is not with me. You can come out now. We’re supposed to make our way to the launch pad! We’re taking a motorized Chariot that needs to calibrate our weight.” A few thumps later, the deranged Earth Pony came crashing to the ground, his hiding spot apparently being the ceiling. “You ever meet Pinkie Pie? I swear you two would cause so much hell.”

“Nope, never heard of her. Let’s get going! I wanna dodge Celestia before we gotta escape, I mean skedaddle, I mean embark! Yes, embark on our journey!”

“She’s already there. She’s giving us our Diplomatic Passports.” I said deadpanned, causing Cadence to giggle at his antics.

“Dang, well guess that I can’t dodge fate. Let’s go!”

We all walked towards the Hedge Maze landing pad, with me adjusting the straps on my duffle bag a bit. I noticed that Frenzy Scribe was wearing red robes which covered pretty much everything except his hooves and head, signifying his rank as a scholar of Equestria. From what I had heard, Twilight Sparkle was next on that list.

“Frenzy, is there anything I need to know before we leave? Like anything I should keep an eye out for or VIP’s?” I asked, slightly nervous about being put into such a big position like this.

“Nope! Just stick next to me and don’t let me get sliced. That’s all I need.” He said simply, in a manner which wasn’t exactly nervous, just twitchy.

“Well I’m going to go find Shining and see how he’s doing. Celestia knows he’s been so stressed with everything that has been happening.” Cadence said sympathetically, before walking off towards the barracks.

Me and Frenzy both watched her walk away, before we turned to each other and nodded.

“He’s going to get laid tonight isn’t he?” Frenzy said.

“Oh yeah. No doubt about it."

Ghost POV

I was laying in the bed the Apple’s had given me, but it was missing something. I also felt the same feeling that something was missing in Ethaxial, and I couldn’t quite put my hoof on what it was.

It wasn’t too cold. In fact, there was a nice breeze coming from the open window which comforted me, and a oil lamp lit outside which gave a nice comforting glow.

I looked over to the table on the side of the room, seeing the picture of both me and 64 standing there. I smiled a bit at the fond memory, wondering if 64 ever took other pictures.

“Um… Ghost?” I heard a voice call out from my door. I looked over and saw Applebloom standing at the door, her eyes slightly stained with tears. I got up and went over to her, turning on the lamp on the desk.

“What is it Applebloom? Are you ok?” I asked carefully, wanting to know if she was having an episode.

“Ah’m… ah’m scared of the dark…Ah’m scared of being alone in the dark…” She whimpered, more tears streaming down her cheeks. I wiped them away and whispered back.

“But what about last night? Were you ok?”

“A...Applejack stayed with me… she went to bed early for some reason tonight…” She hesitated a bit for some reason. “Can… can ah stay with ya tonight? Ah… ah don’t want to go to bed alone…”

I blushed a bit and looked back towards my bed. It wasn’t too big, meaning that there wouldn’t be a lot of room...but my orders were to make her feel safe and comfortable.

“Sure… let me just turn the light down a bit…” I said, going over to the lamp and dimming it until everything was just visible. I then morphed into my ‘colt’ form, knowing that fur would be more comfortable to sleep against rather than tough chitin.

I let Applebloom get into the bed first, letting her get settled in before I got in next to her. I draped the blanket over the both of us and sighed at the increased warmth in the bed, smiling a bit. I noticed that Applebloom was calming down a bit, her heart rate dropping and her breathing becoming less erratic.

“Feeling better?” I asked, feeling Applebloom start to snuggle up to me a bit.

“Much, thank ya Ghost…”

I think I found out what I thought was missing.

Author's Note:

Thank you for sticking through with this! I need to find a new way to write pronto, so expect more delays!

Comments

[DominiusTWD]

luna crush is gonna make celestia angry. good!

[Bronydom]

ooooh ghost and applebloom are so cute togther

[BureYaAkili]

I'd ship it

[Themexininja]

You know. I approve of both potential shipps. Luna and 64? Perfect both very dark past and she was the first one to actually be friendly to him in the beginning. I'd be very happy for both to have one another. And GhostBloom? Yeah pretty obvious